"And when they ask us what we're doing, you can say, We're remembering...." (Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451)

Friday, September 29, 2006

FLASHBACK: Iris Cory

TEXAS starring Beverlee McKinsey was an unprecedented credit when the Another World spin-off premiered on NBC in 1980 (even the great ATWT diva Eileen Fulton only warranted an "and Eileen Fulton as Lisa" at the end of her show's credits).

So who was this Iris Cory brought so unforgettably to life by the star-billed Miss McKinsey?

She made her debut on AW in 1972 as Mac Cory's spoiled daughter, sickly young Dennis' mother and Elliot Carrington's soon-to-be ex-wife.

When Iris learned that Elliot might be moving on with Alice Frame (yes, of Alice/Steve/Rachel fame), Iris came to Bay City and used her new pal, Rachel, to break the fledgling couple up.

Alas, Iris soon found Rachel to be an even bigger threat than Alice ever was, when Iris' precious Daddy, Mac, fell for the considerably younger woman.

Iris tried bribing Rachel. She tried hiring a gigolo to seduce her away. She tried hiring people to spy on her. Her efforts merely succeeded in a furious Mac disinheriting his little girl.

This made Iris very vexed.

Without putting her Rachel-hate too far on the back-burner, Iris proceeded to run roughshod over several Bay City men, both eligible -- and not so eligible. She also found time to butt into the now teenage Dennis' love life, bribing love interests right and left, and even hiring yet another gigolo to seduce the girl she thought would be right for Dennis, away from his best friend, Jamie Frame.

Iris' Daddy-centered world was crushed in 1978 when she learned that Mac and his first wife had adopted her as an infant, and that her real mother was a Russian fashion wannabe (think Sally Spectra from B&B... only with less class).

Shaken, Iris followed Dennis to his new job in Houston, where she ran into one Alex Marshall, the man who we were soon to learn just might have been the one responsible for turning her into the less than warm and cuddly person that she became.

5 comments:

Hi - First thank you, thank you, thank you for this project. You have no idea what AW and EON meant to me as shows. I grew up with them, and feel like my youth is being revisited.

Do you know when some new AW and EON materials will be available?

As well there are episodes of AW, the Ste - Croix story where Janice is poisoning Mac, that would really be good to see, pre summer 1980. On EON there are pre July 1979 episodes that are extremely good, when Edge was at its best, particularly Feb - June 1979 re: the Wade Meechum murder, and the Winter Austen murder trial. I think that murder mystery is one of the best ones ever.

Is there anyway those older, but not so much older AW and EON episodes will be posted?

Every Christmas season, I pull out two VHS tapes that contain episodes from the final two weeks in 1982 aired over the Christmas and New Year's season. I made the acquaintance of a fellow Texas fan a number of years ago, who sent me copies.

Thanks for your loving tributes to these shows of yesteryear. I look forward to seeing more Texas and Another World episodes on-line, particularly the end run of Texas. I'm not sure how much life I have left in my VHS tapes!

I would also echo blogger Steve's request for the St. Croix episodes of Another World. The episodes where Iris and Vivian are held hostage in the penthouse were also classic.

I am slowly making my way through the episodes numbering in the 20s. Unfortunately, I am now encountering continuous commercial loops when trying to view Texas episodes from #21 to #45. Any suggestions on how to view these shows?

I also notice that the first batch of episodes have been removed. Any chance they can be retained in order to attract new fans?

One of the now missing episodes features some classic scenes between Beverlee McKinsey and the late actors Douglass Watson (Mac Cory) and Paul Stevens (Brian Bancroft), who made cameo appearances on the spinoff.

These episodes also featured scenes between the late Elizabeth Allen (Vicky) and Carla Borelli (Reena) which are "must" viewing for any fan of classic soaps. The segments involving the late Josephine Nichols are also a treat.

Thanks for preserving all the Texas episodes. When I finish making my way through Texas, I'm looking forward to dipping into The Edge of Night. I also watch the odd episode of Another World, primarily based on the image that you post with each episode. After all these years, I still recalled the episode where Ada (the late Constance Ford) walked up the stairs in a darkened house after her beloved Charlie died.

Are you advertising your classic soaps channel in traditional print publications in Canada and the US? There are millions of fans who may not be aware of your offerings on AOL Video and this site.